JJM - What It Is, and Why You Should Know About It
Today's post is a bit different from what you may normally see around here - but I'd appreciate your bearing with me, as it is a topic I have been longing to share about with you all.
The purpose of Juvenile Justice Ministry (JJM) is to form relationships with young people in many different types of youth-serving institutions (detention centers, probation, correctional facilities, group homes, residential treatment centers and emergency shelters).
It is through these relationships that the Gospel is being shared with teens that are otherwise largely shut off from the world, and life skills training is offered which aids these young people in being able to reenter society successfully. This is happening all across the nation! Sounds like a great thing, right? So are you wondering why you've never heard about it?
Well, the harsh truth is that although there are almost 1,300 juvenile detention facilities of some sort in the U.S. - only about 30% of them have active Christian ministry going on within their walls. The Church and its members are readily willing to give money to projects that will reach people on the other side of the world who they've never seen - but somehow we're not as willing to give our time to those in our own backyards.
Many of you know that another thing I'm passionate about is a program called Bible Quizzing - where Scripture memorization meets team competition. In the fall of 2019, I had the incredible opportunity to be a part of a team with folks from CIBQ that partnered with YFC to bring quizzing into a state training school.
While we were developing our plans to introduce quizzing to teen guys in lock-up, there were many voices in our surrounding Christian communities that spoke up in hesitation. "It's not safe for you to go in there," "The guys who are there aren't in lock-up for just infractions. They've committed serious crimes," "I just don't think it's a good idea."
Honestly, they were right (to an extent!) - it's not like we were going in there to read a Bible story and have craft time with a bunch of preschoolers. But here's the deal, if Jesus' followers don't step up and venture outside their tiny corner of comfort in the world - these kids aren't ever going to encounter the Gospel...
And maybe some of us are too okay with that.
Maybe we've convinced ourselves that Christianity is only for "the pretty people". Maybe our idea of discipleship has meant expecting people to get their act together before showing up at His feet and in our church buildings. If everyone in our churches and our ministries look the same, come from the same neighborhoods and all have the same types of testimonies - we're missing something.
The thing is - while we're pouring money into elaborate children's programming, hosting brunches and thinking about opening a church coffee shop.....there are teens whose lives have been violently thrown upside-down and they've found themselves with little hope left in the world as they wait out their sentences.
I'm not saying there's something inherently wrong with church activities - I just think we're missing the point of the Gospel that Jesus actually lived out while He was here.
There are those who feel little if any compassion or concern for juvenile offenders. "They know what they've done....let them suffer the consequences," they say. But what if God had said the same, looking at us? What if He decided we weren't worth the risk, the time, or the sacrifice?
When Jesus took up residence on earth, the people He spent the most time with weren't exactly the types of folks the Pharisees wanted to be associated with. (Maybe right now you're wondering if the Church is currently identifying more with Jesus or the Pharisees.....which would be a valid question.)
When our team entered the training school, what we found was a group of teen guys whose choices and experiences in this broken world had left them desperate for purpose, connection, and hope. Over time, they gave their free time to studying verses from the New Testament, and asking questions about what they were learning.
Unfortunately for our team, Covid-19 interrupted the dreams that had been set in motion to make quizzing a year-round program at the training school. But that doesn't mean God has stopped working (or that we're off the hook!)
~~~
•UPDATE•
October 2022 -
Our team recently received word that the facility is being opened up again to us! So you may labor with us in prayer as we seek to return to our JJM efforts. Thank you!
~~~
If you've made it this far and are still reading, THANK YOU!! I am so grateful for your interest in what I have to say. If you're wondering why this post came across your feed today or what you can be doing to affect the spread of the Gospel through JJM - I've got a few ideas. :)
1. Pray for opportunities to be created for JJM efforts to reach every juvenile detention facility! We simply CANNOT stop where we are.
2. Pray for those workers already in the field. As you can imagine, there's not always a ton of support for those working in ministry, and many people involved in JJM are volunteers!
3. Ask God what He wants from you. Every person and every story has a part to play in the work God is doing. What's yours?
~~~
More resources:
Comments
Post a Comment